Cómo hacer un índice automático en Word

How to do an automatic index in Word 1

Los índices son fundamentales para que nuestros trabajos luzcan lo mejor posible. Sabemos que la creación manual de un índice de contenidos para nuestros trabajos, puede ser algo bastante engorroso. Por ello os traemos este artículo, en el que explicamos todos los pasos necesarios, para crear un índice automático en el procesador de textos Microsoft Word.

Microsoft Word dispone de una opción muy interesante, que nos permite crear un índice automático, de todos los contenidos que se encuentran dentro de un mismo documento de texto. Esta es una opción que nos ahorrará horas de trabajo, especialmente cuando se trate de documentos muy extensos, que contienen una gran cantidad de apartados en su interior.

Consideraciones sobre la generación de índices automáticos en Word

Si decidimos usar la herramienta de creación de índice automáticamente en Word, deberemos tener en cuenta que nuestro trabajo tiene que ser organizado de la forma adecuada, para que esta función pueda hacer su trabajo correctamente.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that we must assign the appropriate format to the different titles , which are within our Word document, and which we want to appear in the index that is generated automatically.

automatic index in word

Word's automatic index will set all headings to the same level in the same way . In other words, if we put Title 1 in all our titles in the Word document, they will all appear aligned exactly the same.

By contrast, the titles that we put as Title 2, will appear included within Title 1 to which they belong, and so on. This may be difficult to explain in words, do not worry because later we will see it in an image so that it is much better understood.

How to generate a table of contents automatically in Word step by step

Once you have verified that your Word document has the correct heading format, you are ready to start the process of creating an automatic table of contents.

The first step to do this will be to decide the exact place where you want the index to appear in your Word document. Once you've made up your mind, place your cursor in the exact spot.

automatic index in word 2

Now click on the " References " option that appears in the top menu of Microsoft Word word processor options.

After accessing the inside of the references section, look for the option called “ Table of contents ”. Selecting this option will bring up a pop-up menu with various options inside.

automatic index in word 3

Choose the table of contents format that you like the most, and click the OK button. With this Word will generate a table of contents automatically .

The following image shows how the titles have been arranged in the table of contents of our Word document. As you can see, there are a total of 5 top-level titles . The first 4 first level titles that we have generated in our Word document do not contain any subtitles inside.

On the other hand, the fifth title of level one that we have introduced in our document, contains a total of 3 subtitles inside. These subtitles are what we have previously established as "Title 2" of Microsoft Word.

automatic index in word 4

Windows offers the option to customize the table of contents . This is a very interesting option if we want each of the sections to have a different name from the one it has within the document itself.

automatic index in word 5

This is where our tutorial on how to create an index automatically in Word ends.